Agreement is reportedly binding, so this story will finely be at an end

Late Tuesday General Motors
reached an agreement with Dutch Spyker Cars NV to purchase the
Swedish brand Saab Automobile AB, saving the brand from being
shuttered. The agreement is reportedly binding and is the
result of compromises from all players and local governments.

That impasse was finally
resolved this week. The deal was greased by a 400M € (about
$568M USD) loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB), via an
agreement with the Swedish government.

Swedish Minister for
Industry Maud Olofsson describes, "That is a deep involvement of
the government with the GM Europe. The [loan] money is not used for
running the company but for development projects which will lead the
future of Saab to be greener and more environmentally
friendly."

John Smith, GM vice president for corporate
planning and alliances cheers the sale, stating, "General
Motors, Spyker Cars, and the Swedish government worked very hard and
creatively for a deal that would secure a sustainable future for this
unique and iconic brand, and we're all happy for the positive
outcome."

Saab's facilities will cease their wind-down
and the deal is expected to be finalized by mid-February, pending
standard applicable regulatory, governmental and court approvals.
The new brand will carry the name Saab Spyker Automobiles and will
continue the company-turned-brand's 65 year tradition, which began
with the former aircraft parent company Saab's Project 92 automobile
prototype.

The deal leaves GM able to focus on its core
luxury offerings -- the prestigious Cadillac brand and the
entry-level luxury Buick brand.

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A Saab and a Saturn are rolling towards eachother @ 70 kph. The Saturn is piloted by some guy from Consumer Reports, and I am driving the Saab. I have a case of chronical flatulence.

The cars are going to crash, and you are a passenger in one of them.

My question to you: Which one do you prefer?

There are about a dozen crash tests that car manufacturers need to test to pass various government regulations. Saab carries out more than 30 different tests on each model. They especially test for moose impacts. The A-pillar on a Saab is built to resist a small car and the roof is designed so it won't collapse (again: all about keeping the moose on the outside of the car).

So again I ask you: To which car would you trust your life?

The clowns over at Consumer Reports may be attempting to look after your wallet, but they sure as h--- are not concerned with keeping you alive and well. Saab's engineers OTOH are.

The Saturn, as your car gets crushed by mine cuz it's not a moose:P. I have never seen a moose in real life... not sure i have to worry about that 1. not everyone looks at saftey as the biggest seller, if i did, i may have gotten a Volvo ;)

http://www.folksam.se/testergodarad/hursakerarbile... has several years rated the 9-5 as 30%+ safer than the average car. It was only last year that Volvo managed to cough up a model matching that score. Up to 2009, the 9-5 was the only car in its class to achieve that score.

OK... How about XWD? The latest generation of Haldex all wheel drive system, which is the most advanced AWD system currently on the market?

First found in the 2008 9-3 TurboX, and soon to be a feature in the new 9-5 as well.

Or HyperStrut, promising a smooth ride in the new 9-5?

Then there is Saab's excellent turbo charge pedigre, allowing a relatively economical V4 engine to give considerable boost when accelerating from 80 to 120 kph. (I routinely overtake three big trucks in a row on winding snowy country roads)

Finally, a Saab is a delight to drive on any snow/ice covered road. It is not for naught that Saab still has a good name in the rally driving community.

Combine that with Saab's unchallenged safety record, and you have one heckuva car.

On the other hand, if all you do is drive on straight and dry roads, it really doesn't matter what you drive.

Saab is a european brand, and they have more success internationally than American cars do.

Most Europeans will avoid American Engineered cars if at all possible (american cars drive a lot differently to european cars)

Saab has (unless it was sold to the chinese....?)engine technology for bio-fuel that kicks a**. The Saab Aero engine produces 310bhp when running on environmentally friendly bio-fuel (bio-fuel produced from paper mulch, the waste at Swedens paper factories), and 270 when running on petrol.Yep thats right, get more power and speed while protecting the planet - no need for sacrifice.Well yeah I know not all bio-fuel is good for the planet, but at least the technology is there.

On a last note, the Saab is an excellent car to drive. My father got a choice of a Saab or an Audi for a company car. He tested both, and chose the Saab. You can get all the options in a saab for a lot cheaper than the same in an audi (the company fixes a limit on price of car), the automatic gear change is a lot smoother and the interior doesnt feel like cheap plastic.

Maybe Spyker will finally rescue Saab from its long tradition of fugly. That is mostly what holds it back now, being a well engineered brand. Saab could use an additional spike of reliability lately, too, but we'll see.